These jammy Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) are simple but packs a flavour punch, sweet, salty and rich in umami. They are versatile and perfect to go with ramen or a bowl of steamed Japanese rice.
There’s no doubt, we LOVE eating eggs. Steamed, fried, scrambled, poached, baked, soft boiled, you name it. Ramen eggs is what I call, a leveled up soft boiled molten eggs. They definitely are packed with flavour. It is easy to make, affordable and I guarantee that you will love it too!
What’s the great deal about Ramen Eggs?
FLAVOUR. By marinating soy, mirin and sake, the egg absorbs all the goodness and makes the egg yolk jammy and flavourful. It adds flavour to an otherwise plain dish such as, rice. Add on top of instant noodle to luxe it up.
VERSATILITY. Use on many dishes including rice, noodles. The base of marinade is actually just soy sauce but you can add in different spices such as garlic, chili to give it a boost of flavour.
SO, WHATS THE SECRET?
TIME. While it is simple and you can put it together in 10 minutes, you need patience to let the egg marinade and absorb all the flavours. Give it a minimum 6 hours, and you get a nicely marinated egg whites and runny yolks. Anything more than 48 hours, the yolks become more thick and jammy and the colour turns into a rich darker yellow. It goes without saying, the flavour is definitely stronger the longer you keep it in the fridge.
CAN I REUSE THE MARINADE?
You can but you may need to bring it to boil again. Keep it not more than 5 days in the fridge. The remaining marinade can be reused for a new batch of eggs but I recommend bring it to simmer before using it. You could also use some of the marinade for chicken or pork dishes.
STEPS TO MAKING RAMEN EGGS
- Boil eggs for 6 1/2 minutes. I’m using large eggs (about 60g each) and it works perfectly everytime. If your eggs are smaller, reduce the time to 6 minutes. Use room temperature eggs. If eggs are cold, it’s recommended to run it under room temperature water to prevent it from cracking while boiling. Add eggs only when the water has come to a boil. Have a timer ready.
- Cool eggs in ice water. This will stop the cooking process and prevent the yolks from firming up.
- Bring the marinade together in a pot and bring to a light simmer. Let it cool before adding into eggs.
- Peel eggs. Honestly this might be the hardest part of the recipe. My suggestion is to use fresh eggs or up to a week old. There are many tricks on the internet on how to peel eggs easily so if you find it hard to do so, please use the internet 🙂
- Add marinade into eggs into a container. If the container size is too big for the amount of eggs, the best choice is to use a ziplock bag, then put it in a container. The irregular size of the bag helps marinate all parts of the eggs
- Marinade for at least 6 hours, for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago)
Ingredients
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 clover garlic finely grated
- 1 small piece ginger finely grated
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in eggs slowly when water has come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Set timer to 6 minutes 30 seconds. Start timer
- Get ready a bowl of ice water. When eggs are done, add in eggs into the ice water. Discard the pot of water
- In the same pot, add in soy sauce, water, mirin, sake, grated ginger and garlic. Set over stove and bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Peel eggs and put in a clean container. Add in marinade once its cooled down. Add a layer of cling film over the top (optional) before closing the lid
- Put in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Did you try this dish?
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Looks awesome! Will try it once I get hold of a sake:)
Hi Sherene, you can find it in most grocery like Jaya Grocer or even online, cooking sake will be fine.